"But you have recovered them?"

"No, Sherlock, no! That's the pinch. We have not. Ten papers
were taken from Woolwich. There were seven in the pocket of
Cadogan West. The three most essential are gone--stolen,
vanished. You must drop everything, Sherlock. Never mind your
usual petty puzzles of the police-court. It's a vital
international problem that you have to solve. Why did Cadogan
West take the papers, where are the missing ones, how did he die,
how came his body where it was found, how can the evil be set
right? Find an answer to all these questions, and you will have
done good service for your country."

"Why do you not solve it yourself, Mycroft? You can see as far
as I."

"Possibly, Sherlock. But it is a question of getting details.
Give me your details, and from an armchair I will return you an
excellent expert opinion. But to run here and run there, to
cross-question railway guards, and lie on my face with a lens to
my eye--it is not my metier. No, you are the one man who can
clear the matter up. If you have a fancy to see your name in the
next honours list--"

My friend smiled and shook his head.

"I play the game for the game's own sake," said he. "But the
problem certainly presents some points of interest, and I shall
be very pleased to look into it. Some more facts, please."